Field



E.- s. PIPER. BreechgLoading Fire-Arm.

mentent Dec, 5, 1865.V

@www

f UNI-TED STATES ATnN'r-i EDwN s.-P1Pnn, or SPRINGFIELD, Assis-NOR To JosIAn sown, OF SPRING- FIELD, MAss., AND M. JAeOBs, on HARTFORD, cONN.

I IMPROVEMENT iN, cARTmDGERtTRAcTOB's FOR Batten-LOADING Fist-ARMS.

Specification forming part ofLetters Patent No. 5h32, dated December 5, 1865.

Figure l represents a sectionalside eleva.

tion-of this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan or top viewfqef the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical 'sectionof the same, the line a: Fig. v2, in dic'atiu-gzthe plane of section and looking in the direction of the arrow marked opposite to that liue'rl Fig. Llis a transverse section ofthe same, taken in the plane. indicated by the `line y y, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of referenceindicate like parts.

l.This invention consists in an elbow-lever which has its fulcrum on a pivot secured in the' fra-maand one arm of which is slotted and catches over a pin projecting from a springslide provided with a lip for the purpose of ejecting the empty cartridges, whereas the v lother arm of said elbow-lever. isexposedto the action of a spring-latch secured to the undersurface of the verticali y-swingin g breech-block in such a manner that whenever said breechblock is raised for swung open and before it reaches its highest point `the latch engages with the elbow-leverand acts on the cartridgeejector, causing the same to extract the car-h tridge; and as the breech-block is' raised still higher the spring-latch releases the elbow-lever and allows the cartridgeejector to iy back to its original position, thus offering yno obstacle to the introduction of a new cartridge.

Arepresentsthe breech of an ordinary Springeld musket,'which is cut open to receive the swinging breech-block B. This breech-block is connected to the frame or breech by a hingejoin't, a, in such a manner that it swings up and .down in a'vert'cal plane, as showniu Fig. l1 of the drawings, or` that it can he closed "down, as shown in Fig. 3. This breech-block 'is operated' hva lever, b, which extends from "its reai` end,and wh ich,.is'connected to said the slide.

breech-block by a round arm fitted into a correspending socket, c, in the breech-block, as clearly shown in Fig. 3; A spiral spring, d, inserted -into the socket c, basa tendency to force the lever i) back, anda set-screw, @which drops into a recess in the upper edge of the lever,` prevents the same from flying back auyfa-r-` ther-than desirable or from coming' out of the socket c altogether. 'Said lever isfurnished with a lip, j', and it the breech-block is closed down this lip catches in a recess, g, in the frame and the breech-block is locked. Bypush ing the lever forward against the action of the .spring d the lipf is made teclear the recess-g and the breech-block is free-to be thrown open. The breech-block, it will be noticed, is so formed that when the same is; closed the jappe'arance ofthe musket is the same as that of van ordinary Springfield mnsket, and the mechanism of the lock .requires no alteration. E is the cartridge-ejector, which consists of a slide fitted into a vrecess in the side of the frame A, and whichis provided with a lip, h', that catches under the head or flange of thej' cartridge. and ejects the same from the barrel whenever a backwardmotion is imparted to Said ejector isoperated b means of an elbow-lever, i j, which has its i'ulcru'm on a pivot, k, secured in the frame. The arm i otA said vlever 'extends down in to a tule, l, which incloses a spring,mth'at has a tendency toiorce said arm i'n the direction of the arrow marked near it in Fig. l.

A pin, n, securedin the outer surface of the ejector, projects through a slot, p, hiiithe arm t ot' the elbow-lever, and any motion imparted to said elbow-lever isV 'thereby transmitted to the ejector. v The. arm j of the elbow-lever 'ij bears on the upper edge of the frame A, being iush with the inner and outer surfaces of said frame, and' a recess in the frame under the inner edge of the 'arm j enables the spring-latch@ to catch under said arm and to impart the' requisite motion'to the cartridge-ejector whenever the breech-block is thrown-open. j

The latch g is secured. to the under surface of'thebreech-block, and its fronted geisbeveled vand formed in such a manner-that in depressing the breech-block said latch is forced back against the action of, a spring, n, (see"Fig. 4,)

and as soon as 1t passes the edge of thearni j it springs out and catches under sai'd arm ready to act on it Whenever the breech-block is raised. As the breech-block is being' raised the cartridge-ejector is forced back, and the cartridge or the shell which happens to be in the barrel is forcedout; but after the breechblock has been raised to a certain height the latch g releases the arm jof the elbow-lever 21j, so asto allow the ejector to Hy back to its original position, Where it'oers no obstruction to the-introduction of a new cartridge.

By this arrangement the conversion ot' an ordinary Springfield musket into a breechloading rie is rendered easy and practicable,

and a riiieis obtained which isnotliableto get i ont of order, which can be loaded ith-,amant rapidity, and which is so simple that it can be operated Without paying much attention to the mechanism.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Let:- tcrs Patent- The elbow-lever e' j and spring n1, in combi nation with the ejector E, spring-latch g, and verticallys\vinging breech-block ll, constructed and operating substantially as and for the purpose described.

EDWIN S. PIPER.

Witnesses A. T. FoLsoM,

HENRY M. JACOBS. 

